On November 23 and 24, two fundraisers were held to raise money for the employees of Pal’s Shanty, 4630 N.E. Sandy Blvd., which suffered a fire on November 15.

One of the fundraisers was held at Sam’s Billiards,1845 N.E. 41st Ave.The other was held at Blackwell’s,1815 N.E. 41st Ave. The goal was to raise money for the nine out-of-work Pal’s Shanty employees, some of whom are single parents.

Piney Kahn, one of the out-of-work Pal’s Shanty employees, attended the fundraiser at Sam’s Billiards. A regular patron at Pal’s Shanty before she started working there as a server, Kahn described the fire as a “shock.” According to Kahn, the owners of Pal’s Shanty, Jim and Sharon Hanson, “are wonderful people. They are doing everything they can. We’re kind of a family over there. We are doing what we can to support each other.”

According to Kahn, it may take four to six months before the restaurant will reopen.

Mary Brooks, whose son works at Pal’s Shanty, also attended the fundraiser at Sam’s Billiards. She described the fire as “devastating for everyone.”

Gregory Jones, a cook at Pal’s Shanty, attended the fundraiser with his partner Jackie Conley. They have two children. About his co-workers, Jones had this to say: “We all want to come back to the Shanty. We’re all close friends.” When he heard about fire, he said, “My heart dropped. I hope we get the Shanty back, open and even better. When you lose something, you can rebuild, especially something that’s material.”

Anyone interested in making a donation to help the Pal’s Shanty employees and their families can stop by any US Bank where they can contribute to the Pal’s Shanty Crew Relief Fund. To donate online, go to http://www.gofundme.com/5aod2o.